-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Austrian director Michael Haneke took home the prestigious Palme d'Or prize -- his second -- at the Cannes Film Festival for his film `` Amour . ''

The film , according to the festival 's website , is about a retired couple in their 80s and how their bond is severely tested after the woman , Anne , `` has an attack . '' It features actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva .

Haneke also won the Palme d'Or at the festival in 2009 for `` The White Ribbon . '' That film depicted the cruel punishments meted out at a rural German school before World War I.

`` The Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win , '' said Haneke at a press conference following his 2009 award . `` I am not proud , but I am very happy . In my opinion , it 's silly to be proud . ''

Another contender for the top prize was `` Moonrise Kingdom , '' a film by Wes Anderson that tells the tale of two young lovers who reunite and run away into the wilderness in 1965 after a year apart .

The film stars Bruce Willis , Frances McDormand , Tilda Swinton and Ed Norton along with Anderson favorite Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman . But it 's the two young lovers , portrayed by newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward , who steal the show .

`` My point of view about it was the memory of feeling that way is so strong for me , '' Anderson told CNN earlier this week . `` Rather than starting with an idea of a character or characters and a setting , instead I was starting out with a feeling . An emotion . A memory of an emotion that I was hoping to recreate in some way . ''

Pictures from 65th annual Cannes Film Festival

`` Moonrise Kingdom '' was one of a handful of American movies in the 22-strong competition section . Others included John Hillcoat 's Prohibition-era move `` Lawless , '' with Shia LaBoeuf , Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce ; Andrew Dominick 's thriller `` Killing Them Softly '' with Brad Pitt ; Lee Daniels ' `` The Paperboy '' with Zac Efron , Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman . Also featured is Jeff Nichols ' `` Mud '' with McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon and David Cronenberg 's Don DeLillo adaptation `` Cosmopolis '' starting Robert Pattinson of `` Twilight '' fame and Juliette Binoche .

In addition , Kanye West also premiered a short film/art installation , `` Cruel Summer , '' at the festival , which kicked off May 16 . It stars Kid Cudi as a car thief who falls in love with a blind Arabian princess , but West also makes an appearance .

And British rock start Pete Doherty , the on-again , off-again lead singer of the Libertines , also made his acting debut in `` Confession of a Child of the Century , '' which screened at the festival .

Last year 's Palme d'Or prize went to `` The Tree of Life , '' a film from American director and writer Terrence Malick .

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NEW : The winning film is `` Amour ''

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NEW : It 's the second Palme d'Or for Michael Haneke

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22 films were in competition for the top prize

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The Cannes festival began May 16